How many of you have automobiles?

[huntergathereralex]

Hi everyone. I'm curious how many of you have autos? If you don't, how to you get out into the sticks to practice your bushcraft? I find myself presently without an auto, and am champing at the bit, not being able to get out of the city. I have no friends with autos to impose upon, there are no buses I can take that will plop me off in the wilds, then pick me up later, and renting a car for a few hours bimble in the woods is cost prohibitive.
The closest chunk of land is due east of my city, about 40 kms. I've got a bicycle which I use quite regularly, but riding it on the breakdown lane of a super highway is beyond stupid.
Any thoughts beyond winning the lottery, or marrying a rich widow?
Cheers
(Stuck in this urban hell)Alex

 

[John Fenna]

I live in the sticks and use my van to visit civilisation as infrequently as possible!

 

[Bucephalas]

Hitch?
Sounds like your options are limited with no public transport.

 

[TurboGirl]

We're 4x4 motor traders so I get to test drive them and problem-snag on meets.... sometimes I gets there, sometimes I don't..... if you could get one and trade them on, you might make enough to keep yourself on the road? I wouldn't bother with the rich widow, they require constant attendance so you might loose the pass to get out in the first place

 

[neoaliphant]

I've got a bicycle which I use quite regularly, but riding it on the breakdown lane of a super highway is beyond stupid.
Any thoughts beyond winning the lottery, or marrying a rich widow?
Cheers
(Stuck in this urban hell)Alex

When I was at uni, i used to put my bike on a train, and cycle from station

 

[Wayland]

I used to hitch hike all over the country when I was at college.

I actually get out less now because I got lazy and then the fuel got expensive.

 

[Ronnie]

I had one until about 3 hours ago when my timing chain let go destroying approximately 12 of my 24 valves

Tomorrow I shall be using my bicycle

 

[Arya]

I own a Volvo XC90, but I am very fond of taking the train when I´m going on longer trips. If it is possible to reach my destination with train that is...
It gives me time to sleep and relax, and it is cheaper then a car if you travel alone. Maybe it´s different where you live
I always end up as the driver, if I´m not going alone and we decide to take the car. It´s a curse. The others arrive fresh and well rested, while I feel (and look) like a zombie.

 

[huntergathereralex]

Thank you all for your responses. Hadn't thought about the train, might give it a try. Ultimately I may use my bike, but find a smaller side/dirt road to get there. If I were really on the lucky side I'd find a way to live in the 'sticks', and commute into the city. Well, gotta track down a rich widow on craigslist...
Cheers
Alex

 

[Elen Sentier]

1 Renault Clio between the two of us. We live in the sticks, 3/4 mile from the nearest small road, and I sneak into civilisation only when I absolutely have to. We organise using the car between us ... Hubby would only do meets and camping if they were en suite I used to hitch all over Europe, in fact as far as Afghanistan which was beautiful and a fruit-orchard in those (pre-Ark) days, when I was a teenager up to about age 22. I also interspersed hitching with using cheap trains and then walking for days.

 

[The MAX]

Multi-modal is probably the best way to go.

Train + bike, bus + bike, etc.

 

[andybysea]

My wife works all over the country so has the car with her, luckily i live in the country so to get around i really on my legs,which obviously limits me to time and distance travelled.

 

[presterjohn]

Both my wife and I car drivers. Technically my wife owns both of ours as I sold mine when she bought her present car and I just started using her previous vehicle. Neither of us have anything fancy though. I drive and S reg Ford fiesta and she has a W reg Ford Escort. We have been driving both for over 5 or 6 years and they just seem to go on and on without needing any major repairs at all. We are hoping to upgrade a bit this year though as our boys are getting bigger and holidays and day trips can be a bit cramped in a 13 year old Escort.

 

[lucan]

I've got a Pug 106 that i use for work, The wife has a Vauxhall Zafira, 7 seats come in very handy for school runs and the like, We've just bought a top box for the Zafira , Hoping to do a lot of Camping this summer.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

There are some web sites where people who are going to certain destinations offer to take passengers for a reasonable fee.......you can even, arrange the return journey online........all you have to do is find someone passing the area you wish to go, they drop you off & either they or someone else pick you up on the way back..........just an idea.

 

[xylaria]

We swapped our car for a bicycle, we live pretty much in the sticks. We cycle or borrow my mums car or occasionally get public transport. To get to the wilds we can catch a bus to the local trainline which runs through the mountains. It takes a bit working out how to get to places. Sunday public transport here is awful. We have wonderful cycle routes which can be traffic free. There will be a way to get out of your city without using the freeway. Does your train service take bikes?

 

[greensurfingbear]

I have a car but prefer to cycle... To tight to pay for petrol lol. Are there any car share schemes? Last village I lived in had a scheme that once you joined you could use the communal cars. Cost per year and per mile but worked out cheaper than owning a second car. Given the poor public transport it was a popular scheme


Orric

 

[sandbender]

Public transport here is superb, the odd bus catches fire when the weather is too hot and sometimes it rains inside the tram or trolly bus but if I want to get out of the city I can take a tram, a bus, a cog wheel train, an underground train, an overground local train, a ferry or any combination of the above. Costs are low and services are frequent.

If I had a car here I would sit in a traffic jam and get nowhere only to not be able to find a parking space or find a really expensive one from which my car would be stolen shortly after I parked it.

I can also walk as I live near enough to the city boundary to make that worthwhile.



Edited to add:

In Scotland I own a Landrover, it is looked after and maintained by a friend while I am here, if I didn't have it I'd risk being snowed in a few times a year and I'd have a four mile walk/cycle to the nearest bus stop.

 

[santaman2000]

Yes, I have a Dodge Ram 1500.

We haven't had train service here since Hurricane Katrina cut off the easy-west route (we NEVER had north-south service) years ago. Even when we did have train service, it ran eastward on three days a week (once on each of the three day) and westward on three alternating days a week (again once each of the three days) There was just not enough ridership to make it worth restoring the service after the rails were repaired.

Bus service is a more widespread and more frequent but there are NO stops between towns so you'd still need to get out of town some way; and to my knowledge, they don't have room for bikes on the bus nor will they allow guns so it kinda takes away the motivation to get into the woods anyway.

 

[British Red]

I'd have a four mile walk/cycle to the nearest bus stop.

Yep that sounds about right. Round here, you don't drive, you are pretty much hosed. Public transport is pretty much non existent in the rural fens.